High Hopes

James sat on his bed in his room and looked out the window. Two Bluebell song birds were flying to and from the tree outside. There was a little park next door with one tree. In that tree there were three bird nests. When there is only one tree in the whole subdivision the birds end up sharing the available nesting areas. 

Actually they will nest anywhere and everywhere. There was no shortage of nest in eaves, in cracks in walls, on roof tops, and wherever. There were a lot of Bluebell song birds. So many that they were pests and not anything desirable or powerful.

Except that James had a cheat. Actually his family had a cheat. His great grandfather had been a grandmaster artificer and while all the heritage was gone and the money was long gone one artifact remained. It wasn't anything super special or powerful, it was only a pair of glasses. When you wore them nothing special happened unless you consciously inserted your mana and you were looking at a living being with a blood line. If there was a bloodline then a subtle glow would surround that being. 

It really wasn't very helpful. While exceedingly rare there were other glasses like these. But only a grandmaster artificer could actually make them. That didn't mean he could wear them and become a great bloodline identifier. No, the glasses were only a training tool. Even journeymen level identifiers could see bloodlines better than the glasses could provide.

His family just used the glasses to get their children a little better pet. Since all the valuable beasts were regulated and preserved the family had their own gimmicks. They would all tame common animals, but with one difference each of their pets had a bloodline. A bloodline they found by using the glasses.

It was a trick and it often wasn't that good of a trick. For example his grandfather had bonded with a dog, a terrier. It had a strong bloodline, but that bloodline was just a ratting bloodline. It made it so that his pet was supernaturally good at hunting rats. The little terrier was a mascot for James' line of the family, but it wasn't going to make too much money and it wasn't going to be a big help in a dungeon.

So James was looking at this Bluebell songbird and he was dreaming. One year ago his father had submitted a request for James to use the glasses and two months ago he had been given his opportunity. For two weeks he had permission to use the glasses. With such a big family everyone had to share. James had gone up and down the city uncaring of all the weird looks he had received checking every living eligible pet out. Of course, the first thing he had done was look in all the pet stores. Hoping to find that somehow a mistake had been made and a bloodline pet would be sold for cheap.

After checking every single pet store he had gone to the government run animal sanctuaries. The one in the middle of the city and even the ones on the outskirts. Then he had gone to every pet owner selling pets on the side, at least all that he could find. Last he had performed a comprehensive search of the entire city.

He couldn't search the wilderness. He didn't have a pass and it was too dangerous anyway.

So he limited himself to what he could do and find bloodlines he did. Hundreds of possibilities presented themselves, but he didn't stop until he had performed his entire plan. Then on the last day of his two weeks he had sat on his bed minutes before he was supposed to give the glasses back to his father and looked out the window.

There to his dumbfounded amazement he saw two Bluebell songbirds that were literally lighting up the tree. There bloodline was so strong it was stupefying. James had taken off the glasses and triple checked, but it was true. 

Only the highest bloodlines showed up that way. He had seen it a few times times in the pet stores. The dragons, kylins, and unicorns all had this super charged glow. James had looked over at his computer screen showing a table of all the pets with possible bloodlines that he had found from an ant all the way to a succulent and laughed hysterically. In the end all that work had been for nothing. His destined bond was just outside his window.

It was impossible to tame adults, but fortunately this pair of Bluebells was a mated pair and they would lay eggs soon. James' heart had become sure. He would give the glasses back and then he would wait till the eggs were laid, climb the tree, and claim his miracle.

That had been a month and a half ago. And now the eggs were laid. The Bluebells were nesting. It was laughable how simple this was. He had always been a good climber. Heights and falls did not scare him having fallen more times than he could count. His cousins were a rowdy bunch and they didn't hold back from boasting and showing off.

He wasn't going to fall though.

Climbing the tree he saw the Bluebells. Both of whom were perched on the edge of the nest. Awkwardly, given his position hanging onto the tree, he bowed to the birds.

"I just need one egg, please let me take an egg?"

Having come prepared he offered a little bowl filled with worms in one hand. Surprisingly the birds did not attack or harass him. This was not part of the plan, but was welcomed even so.

Placing the bowl down on the limb of the tree that the nest was built on he secured it to the branch with a bit of string. Imagined of not he thought he saw the two Bluebells nod, accepting him. At least they didn't protest when he reached between them and pulled out an egg.

Joy and accomplishment surged through James as he cradled the egg. Wrapping it, he stowed the egg in a special container and then carefully climbed down the tree. The songbirds went back about their business as James went inside and to his room.

There he set up a taming array. It took an hour to make sure everything was perfect. Placing the egg in the center of the array he activated the circle by pushing his mana into the array's receiving node. Everything was working, it was actually working too well.

Slowly glowing brighter with the Mana the array's light lit up the speckled cream colored egg with soft highlights. Then he pulled out a knife and carefully pricked his pointer finger. Blood welled up fast and dark.

Saying a prayer. He laughed inwardly at himself, prayers had nothing to do with the taming. He just wished with all his heart for a good life for this bird that he would protect and pamper for the rest of its life. Then he reached out and let his blood drop down in a stream onto the egg. A flash brightened the entire room.

Only instead of dropping onto the egg the blood dropped onto a mouse. Immediately the mouse fainted dead away even more blood coming from all its orifices. This was only natural since it was impossible to tame an adult.

Surprise made James' eyes widen. The egg having been pushed forward by the mouse rolled off the egg holder he had constructed and wobbled over the now dying array.

Slow to act James only moved when his brain told him that the egg was about to fall off the desk. Too late the egg slipped through his fingers and splat onto the floor.

A few emotions started to course through James as a wispy blue energy from the broken egg curled and floated up from the wet and gooey body as if seeking a host. Then, unexpectedly it sped up and zoomed into the mouse.

At which point in time the mouse burned into ashes. Blue flames charred the egg holder which now was the pry on which the mouse was consumed.

Too many emotions ran through his body. Anger and fear were first, but then by compulsion the taming ceremony introduced love and attachment. The different feelings warred within James for a long time as he could see a little pink baby mouse being born from within the ashes. Overwhelmed by the experience it curled up within the dying embers and fell asleep.